The prussians or, as we say in Rome, puff pastry fans, are a simple and quick dessert to prepare. If we use ready-made puff pastry, with just 30′ of preparation and cooking, we will enjoy excellent crispy and golden fans.
This time, my daughter took to the kitchen, and I must say she made excellent prussians using homemade puff pastry. I assure you that making puff pastry at home is not difficult at all and doesn’t take too much time. Once prepared, you can keep it in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic wrap for a few days, ready to use when needed.
To prepare excellent prussians, it is important to bake them in a preheated oven at 392°F for about 20′, turning them halfway through cooking to allow both sides of the fans to become crispy and golden.
Another essential step is to roll out the puff pastry on granulated sugar and sprinkle the surface well before folding them, always with plenty of granulated sugar; to facilitate this operation, I recommend slightly wetting the pastry with a little water to allow the sugar to adhere well and evenly.
I also recommend other recipes to use your puff pastry.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 26
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 71.60 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 9.18 (g) of which sugars 4.86 (g)
- Proteins 0.71 (g)
- Fat 3.70 (g) of which saturated 0.53 (g)of which unsaturated 2.99 (g)
- Fibers 0.14 (g)
- Sodium 24.42 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 10 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
To prepare the prussians, we can use either ready-made puff pastry or easily make it at home.
- 1 package puff pastry
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
Tools
The tools to prepare the prussians are few and simple, and easily found in our kitchens, like a rolling pin and a good chef’s knife.
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Knife
Preparation
Roll out the puff pastry on a work surface sprinkled with granulated sugar and cover the surface with more granulated sugar, trying to cover the surface evenly. To facilitate this operation, slightly wet the puff pastry with water using a brush, so as not to use too much, and sprinkle the sugar using the palm of your hand, otherwise it remains uneven, as you can see in the photo.
Now fold the puff pastry by bringing both edges towards the center, but not in a single fold; each half should be folded twice to reach the center.
Once you reach the center, overlap the two halves to obtain a single roll and start cutting it into equal strips to ensure even cooking. Use a good straight-edge knife for this operation because you need to cut them without squashing them too much.
Take each roll and fold the two open edges outward, curling them slightly while pinching the united bottom to create the tip of a heart. If you look at the photo, it’s easier to do than describe this operation 😂
Finally, place each prussian on a baking tray covered with parchment paper, making sure not to place them too close together, as they will grow a lot during baking. Bake in a preheated oven at 392°F for a total of 20′, until golden brown. After about 15 minutes, turn the prussians completely over using a spatula to avoid breaking them and brown the other side as well, which will need at least another 5 minutes.
Now all that’s left is to enjoy your homemade prussians.
NOTES
These cookies are an ideal snack to take to school or work, very crumbly and crispy. I can also suggest sprinkling more sugar on top of your fans before baking to make them even sweeter and crunchier, but it’s not necessary.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Should the ready-made puff pastry be round or rectangular?
For the success of your prussians or fans, it does not matter whether the starting pastry is round or rectangular. The important thing is to always maintain the same folding pattern, bringing the edges toward the center in two folds on each side.
How can I keep them crispy for days?
They should remain in contact with air as little as possible to stay crispy. Therefore, I recommend storing them in tin boxes or sealing them with plastic wrap those you don’t consume.
Can I make puff pastry with margarine?
The flavor is less pronounced, but you can definitely make puff pastry with margarine, making it suitable for vegan cooking, thus allowing you to make your vegan prussians
